Arne Slot has insisted Liverpool will “generate new stars” when Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves and compared the right-back’s potential successor, Conor Bradley, to Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi.
Slot admits Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave as a free agent this summer has come as a major disappointment. But he urged fans to focus their energies on the team that faces Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday and as “less as possible to Trent, unless it’s positive.” Slot confirmed Bradley will start the game as he plans for life without the Real Madrid-bound defender.
Alexander-Arnold’s desire for a fresh challenge in the wake of winning the Premier League title deepened Slot’s sense of regret. But the head coach is adamant that Liverpool will handle their latest succession convincingly. “It is a disappointment for the fans, for teammates and for me that he is leaving,” he said. “We are going to miss a very good human being and a very, very, very good full-back.
“We tried to keep him here. If that does not work out, of course you are disappointed. There were a lot of questions about me replacing Jürgen [Klopp] and there are so many examples of people leaving this club. Kevin Keegan left, Kenny Dalglish arrived. We all felt disappointed, we felt sad, but we always know this club will generate new stars again.”
“Trent is not the first and won’t be the last one to leave a special club,” Slot added. “Players from [Manchester] City, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool sometimes go somewhere else. What is important for me is that it was really hard for him to leave this club. We as a club did everything we could to keep him here and then we have to accept his decision.”
Slot would not be drawn on whether Liverpool will attempt to replace Alexander-Arnold via the transfer market this summer. Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong, who has a release clause of €35m (£29.6m), will be of interest should the club decide to buy. Bradley is the leading internal candidate to take over. The Liverpool head coach paid the 21-year-old Northern Ireland international a huge compliment by comparing him to Morocco captain Hakimi, one of the finest full-backs in the world.
“Conor has such an intense playing style,” said Slot. “They all run a lot but Conor is in his own league when it comes to running a lot, comparable maybe with Achraf Hakimi at PSG. He is everywhere during the game. But Hakimi is 26. He is much more used to doing this every single week.
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“Conor needs time and a good programme to keep him fit. He is not the only one who has not been a regular starter who has had some injuries this season, look at Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott. The ones who are not regular starters, it is harder to keep them fit than the ones who are. If Conor is going to be the regular starter next season that could maybe help him. I think he had 20 games [in a row] last season when Trent was injured. Let’s hope that has a positive impact on his fitness as well.”
